Container perforator



May 6, 1952 E. FULLER CONTAINER PERFORATOR Filed March 5, 1950 INVENTOR LACEY E. FULLER ATTORNEYS Patenteci May 6, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONTAINER PERFORATOR LaceyE..Fuller, Coeburn, Va. Application; March 3, 1950,.Serial; No.- 147,457

2 Claims.

This invention pertains to kitchen utensils,

and: more particularly to the class known as canopeners and can punches employed to. release liquid contents so that they may be poured therefrom.

While various types of devices have been de-- having a. device that will provide foran ample.

opening of, the container at. the pouring location is. appreciable. especially where the liability to drip can be avoided. This. invention provides for this featureasv well asothers. Itemploys a can perforator that ismade with abracket adapted formounting, on a. conventional container, and has a. punch situated on it enabling it to punch an orifice therein convenient for the. purpose of dispensing the contents without undesirable. dripping.. It includes. a. handle for manipulating the punch above the container conveniently, andhas uides. that definitely control the positioning of its working components and the accuracy of op-- eration.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a new and improved container perforator that will avoid one or more of the disadvantages and limitations of the prior art.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved container perforator that can be mounted on a conventional can in a safe and convenient manner and will provide a pouring aperture-for the discharge of its contents that will be located where it will notlinduceundesirabledrippi-ng.

A further object of the hereindescribed invention is to provide a new and improved container perforator that can do efiective work, present an attractive appearance, can be manufactured economically and will perform its duties without danger to the operator or damage to the contents.

Other objects will become apparent as the invention is more fully outlined. For a more comprehensive understanding of its objects, principles and operation, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, wherein a particular form of the invention is shown. These drawings in conjunction with the following explanation dctail the structure and explain its purposes, while the claims indicate the scope thereof.

Referring to the. drawings, in which like. parts aredesignated by like reference characters throughout the figures;

Figure 1 is a frontelevation of a container periorator embodying this invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation on line 2.-2 of Figure 1-;

Figure. 3 is; a plan. view, partly in section, on line 3 3\of Figure-1; and

Figure 4. is. a detail in perspective of the cutter head usedin this embodiment.

The construction. shown in the drawings includes a bracket plate ID, a plunger rod ll and a coil spring 12-, and a handle i3. These components are separable. from each other and are, adapted for the particular purposes required in their functional operations. The bracket plate. I0 is. preferably sheet material that is comparatively lightvv and strong so that it will: serve to support. the other components. and. bear the: stresses. involved in using the device for punching holes. in a container, by the application of. considerable manual force. The bracket plate I0 is bent arcuately to conform with the periphery of a conventional can I5, and has on its upper endv a flange l4 bent inwardly therefrom. at approximately right angles thereto, The flange M, has a squarev hole is through which the. square cross-section. plunger rod. ll. reciprocates in a direction parallel to the plane of the bracket plate. A tongue I 8 of reduced width depends from, the lowerend of and is curved like the bracketplate H]. Feet I 9 integral with the lower end. of the bracket plate. In extend inwardly. parallel to. the flange M at, the opposite sides of the tongue l8. These feet. I9 serve as rests when the device is placed on a canv for perforating it, while. the tongue l8 extends downwardly along and. against the side of the can. and is. pressed against the peripheral surface. A pair of guide lugs 20 and 2| are formed in the bracket plate H) by cutting openings 22, 23, respectively, therein and bending the material therefrom into parallelism with the flange l4 and feet I9. The lugs 20 and 2! have square holes 24 and 25, respectively, of the same size as and aligned with the hole i'6-in the flange Id. The plunger rod ll reciprocates through all of the guide holes I6, 24 and 25. The flange l4 and the upper lug 20 serve as abutments between which the coil spring l2 operates. The spring is loosely circumposed on the rod H and a disc 26 is fixed on the rod and engaged with the upper end of the spring so that the spring is compressed when the rod is pressed downwardly and acts to raise the rod when downward pressure on the rod is released. The plunger rod II projects above the flange I4 where it is provided with a circular handle I3.

The lower portion of the plunger rod extends below the lower lug 2| and has a cutter 30 removably secured thereto so that it can be replaced at any time. The cutter is of the form shown in Figure 4 and has two right triangular walls 21 connected together at their altitude sides, so as to present two downwardly tapered hypotenuse cutting edges. A square recess 3| in its middle portion 28 is designed to receive the lower end of the plunger rod which is held in the recess by a removable pin 29 traversing the sides 21 and portion 28.

The operation of the device is as follows: The bracket I is placed on a can of milk I5, or the like, so that the tongue I8 is against the exterior surface of the can and the clips I9 rest on its top. Then the user presses down on the handle I3, overcomes the tension of the spring I2, and forces the plunger II' downwardly, guided by the rectangular holes I6, 24 and 25, respectively, in the shelf I4 and plates 2I. It carries the cutter head 30 down with it and forces the latter into the can top. By reason of the form indicated, it makes a triangular hole in the top, with the apex towards the periphery of the can. Pointed this way, the aperture formed in the can enables the contents to be poured out in a sharply cut stream. The plunger II and cutter head 30 are positioned far enough in from the bracket and the periphery of the can as to keep this stream away from the wall edge of the can, and thus does not cause spilling or dripping down the outside of the container. After the aperture is punched, the operator releases his hand from the handle I3 and allows the plunger II and cutter head 30 to lift away from the can. The cutter head 33 is normally placed some distance above the can, as shown in the drawings. Then the device is removed from the can and the contents of the latter poured out through the triangular aperture in it.

The construction of the device is relatively simple. The bracket I0 includes the shelf I4, clips I9 and plates 20, all formed from a single blank of material. The bending of the back, shelf, clips and plates strengthens the bracket, even though of thin material. The plunger is guided in three guide holes so that its movement and perforating action is accurate and unwavering. The operation is simple, and the user is protected by the bracket against slippage and injury from the cutter head. Further, the article is compact.

While but one form of the invention is illustrated in this application, it is not desired to limit it to such form,-as it isappreciated that other structures could be developed and made that would employ the same principles and come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a can punch, a single vertical bracket plate having a tongue depending therefrom for engagement with the side of a can, feet on the lower end of the bracket plate arranged to rest upon the top of the can with said tongue engaged with the side of the can whereby said bracket plate is mounted in operative position on the can, and vertical reciprocable punch means mounted on said bracket plate for punching a hole in the top of the can said punch means comprising a flange on the upper end of the bracket plate, a lug on the bracket plate below andin alignment with said flange, a vertical plunger rod extending through said flange and lug, a can top cutter on the lower end of said rod and below said lug, a handle on the upper end of said rod above said flange, and a coiled spring circumposed about the rod intermediate the flange and lug and operatively connected to the rod and lug for elevating the plunger rod following compression thereof by manual depression of the plunger rod and release of the plunger rod.

2. In a can punch, a single vertical bracket plate having a tongue depending therefrom for engagement with the side of a can, feet on the lower end of the bracket plate arranged to rest upon the top of the can with said tongue enaged with the side of the can whereby said bracket plate is mounted in operative position on the can, and vertical reciprocable punch means mounted on said bracket plate for punching a hole in the top of the can, said punch means comprising a flange on the upper end of the bracket plate formed with a hole, vertically spaced lugs on the bracket plate below said flange formed with holes aligned with the first-mentioned hole, a vertical plunger rod guidingly extending through all of said holes, said rod having a can top cutter on its lower end below the lowermost lug and a handle on its upper end above said flange.

LACEY E. FULLER.

REFB RENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

